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Thread: Salmon/steelhead near Fort Bragg?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2020
    Location
    NorCal
    Posts
    134

    Default Salmon/steelhead near Fort Bragg?

    Thinking of heading up to the Fort Bragg/Caspar area around Thanksgiving and just wondering if there are any steelhead/salmon

    streams/locations anyone knows about.

    Thanks!

    NK

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2020
    Location
    Portola Valley
    Posts
    28

    Default

    I've been fishing in that area for 2 years now so I think I can help you out a little. You will be going at a very early time of the year. If we get enough rain by then the sand bars should be popped. Fish as close as you can to the mouth of the stream at this time and you might get a shot of some early run fish coming in. The run starts to trickle in late December-Jan and continues until March.

    Ten Mile River, Big River, and the Noyo River are the main fisheries around FB that have the largest runs of fish. There are some smaller streams that fish well just north of them as well. Fish the estuary sections (slow-moving tidal water 250 ft upstream from the mouth) with a bright streamer on a sink tip or an indicator with a bright pink worm or egg. This is the most productive way I catch adult steelhead and they fight the strongest here. Call the Low Flow Hotline for the region before you go out (707)-822-3164 as the wardens up there will be out looking for fishermen if the water isn't high enough. To find the other streams in the area use the Fishing Regulations Map, it shows where streams are in blue that you are allowed to fish as well as the regulations for that water.

    https://apps.wildlife.ca.gov/sportfishingregs/

    Good Luck!
    Last edited by fishing&beyond; 11-10-2020 at 08:35 PM.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    California
    Posts
    57

    Default Steelhead fishing information

    Our new book California Winter Steelhead includes information on all Northcoast rivers and creeks that provide fly fishing opportunities including historical streamflows (when USGS data is available), public access, run timing and steelhead run sizes if available. Unfortunately, the book will not be shipped from the printer until sometime in December. The historical information should be of interest to most steelhead fly anglers, and the book includes information on equipment, techniques and presentation specifically for California steelhead rivers and creeks for both in flowing water and estuarine situations.

    You can check it out and pre-order a copy at www.dennisplee.com

    Dennis

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Sebastian, FL, USA, Earth
    Posts
    23,836

    Default

    Anyone who is interested in fly fishing for Winter Steelhead this book would give you some great info.

    _______________________________________


    November is a good time for King salmon in some of the tide waters like the Eel, Mad, Smith and Chetco rivers.

    If there is not enough rain/flow they have low flow closures.

    Too much rain then the salmon shoot way up the rivers.

    ____________________________________

    Dec/Jan/Feb/March is timing for Winter Steelhead.

    Winter Steelhead is very challenging with no rain or too much rain....or you just miss the fish.

    _____________________________________

    I was so lucky to fish the lower Gualala, lower Garcia and lower Eel rivers in the 1970s with old veterans.

    We fished all tide water which in like a slow moving lake so we used a selection of slow to medium sinking shooting heads.

    Most used Comet style flies in sizes and colors to adjust to the ever changing visibility.

    If you are ambitious and want to catch real hot wild Steelhead just get some intel and go as much as you can every winter and

    eventually you will hook one. To start get some StreamTime maps and try to find some shops to call.

    King's is on the Russian river for the Russian, Gualala and Garcia rivers.

    Should be some general tackle in Eureka.

    In the 1960-70s ~200 drift boats would be on the Eel River pulling plugs or back bouncing roe with limits every day.

    Logging, dams and the drought of the late 1970s killed the Eel river......



    To give you an idea how hard it is, nobody ever guide fly fishing for Winter Steelhead on the Coast until about 20 years ago.


    I was on the Gualala river around Christmas in early 1970s and heard some guy say, "This Steelhead is terrible, Alaska is way better".

    Get a copy/DVD of the movie...."Rivers of a Lost Coast".

    ________________________________

    Get a time machine and go back 100 years on the Russian river?

    My old fly fishing friends from the Greatest Generation said nobody needed to drive any further north than the Russian river.

    I think they said it had summer and winter steelhead, salmon, stripers, shad and smallmouth bass before the dam.

    It was Internationally famous with people coming from all over the world. I think Ted Trueblood use to fish there.
    Bill Kiene (Boca Grande)

    567 Barber Street
    Sebastian, Florida 32958

    Fly Fishing Travel Consultant
    Certified FFF Casting Instructor

    Email: billkiene63@gmail.com
    Cell: 530/753-5267
    Web: www.billkiene.com

    Contact me for any reason........
    ______________________________________

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Monterey
    Posts
    218

    Default

    My grandpa fished the russian a lot. It was combat fishing. I would like to go back 200 years and fish the klamath!


    Access on many of those streams near FB is limited. May wanna do your homeowork. Maybe try the SF Eel . Hell everybody else is.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Posts
    539

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Natekursow View Post
    Thinking of heading up to the Fort Bragg/Caspar area around Thanksgiving and just wondering if there are any steelhead/salmon

    streams/locations anyone knows about.

    Thanks!

    NK
    too early. maybe try the russian but only if the bar is broken, which is sometimes done mechanically, and there is some decent flow.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Fort Bragg
    Posts
    39

    Default

    Access will be the major problem for you in the Fort bragg Area.Ten Mile, Noyo and Big river are controlled by a timber company which will not allow access to most of the water. Navarro is your best bet as the lower end, near tidewater, is State land. Before the Pinniped explosion the upper tide water pools were the chief areas we fished. Back in the 50s dad and I would start Steelhead on Thanksgiving morning . We were late for dinner many times.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    EDH
    Posts
    64

    Default

    Noyo55 is correct about the access. I grew up in Fort Bragg in 70's and 80's and access was still pretty tight back then, but being kids, we always found ways to get in, especially on the Noyo. We would walk along the railroad tracks between Fort Bragg and Willits where the Noyo ran along and gained access from there. Yes, we spent some time running from the patrols. Some really nice fish came out of that river. Even then Ten Mile and Big River were behind locked gates and nearly impossible to access, but sometimes the gates would be open and the fishing was great. I haven't been back there in 30 years, so I can only imagine the access is much tighter.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Fort Bragg
    Posts
    39

    Default

    Boomer4. Are you one of the kids that I used to give a ride up the hill at the end of the day. I was fortunate to have exclusive access to the top of tidewater and could drive to that part of the river. Tom Ugrin

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    EDH
    Posts
    64

    Default

    No that wasn't me. We used to get to the Noyo by either driving out to southfork when the gate was open, which was often back then, or we would hillscramble off Sherwood Road. Ten Mile was a very difficult to get into, but my folks got access one time and my mother caught a beaut of a steelhead. Do you still live in Ft. Bragg, Noyo55?

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